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(No Model.)

C. T. GIORGI. `FLUTE.

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YUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARLO T. GIORGI, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

FLUTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,785, dated November30, 1897.

Application led January 7, 1897. Serial No. 618,263. (No model.)Patented in Italy ,Tune 14,1888, No. 171, and October' 2, 1895, No.39,663; in Switzerland March 13,1896,No.11,938; in Belgium March 16,1896,1Io. 120,083; in England March 24,1896,No.6,515; in Austria, April8, 1896, No. 46/1,629, and in France June 8,1896,No. 254,805.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARLO T. GIORGI, residing in New York city, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Musical Instruments, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in thefollowing countries: Italy, dated .I une 14, 1888, No. 171, and October2,1895, No. 89,668; Austria, dated April 8, 1896, No. 46/1,329; France,dated June 8, 1896, No. 254,805; Switzerland, dated March 18, 1896, No.11,938; England, dated March 24, 1896, No. 6,515, and Belgium, datedMarch 16, 1896, No. 120,088,) of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

Keyless flutes, although used since an early date, have never beenprovided with the full number of eleven holes necessary to the naturalproduction of the notes of the chromatic scale, and the holes they hadwere not dis* posed according to acoustic laws. lVhen other holes wereadded covered with keys, these holes also were not arranged inaccordance with theoretic requirements. Consequently the notes had notthe right intonation nor equality of sounds. The keys often occasionedcross-fingering, which rendered the digitation very difficult andsometimes quite impossible. Afterward when the flute was radicallyreformed and was constructed more scientifically the holes were closedwith ingenious mechanisms of keys, but these, besides being delicate andexpensive and not always to be depended upon, will bind some one keywith another., so that it is impossible to close one hole without beingobliged to close another. In all these systems the fingering iscomplicated.

In all transversal flutes the higher harmonics by which the differentoctaves should be obtained are not perfect in their intonation, butrather fiat in their progression. This is occasioned by the dispersionof the wind force through the form of the mouthpiece. In such flutes theair blown'from the lips beats against the interior part of the pipe,from there is deflected toward the cork which stops the upper end of thepipe, then deflected again along the pipe, so that it producesdispersion of its force, which renders the harmonic rather flat.Therefore a special `lingering' is necessary to produce the notes of thethird octave, closing some lower holes to reinforce the column of air,and also a slight modification of the normal distance apart of the holesis required. Therefore the intonation is not perfect. The quality ofsounds is not homogeneous. The cross-lingering renders the executiondifficult and sometimes impossible with the normal digitation.

As a remedy for all these imperfections in iiutes I have invented aninstrument entirely conformable to the laws of acoustics, possessing allthe eleven holes necessary to the natural production of the chromaticscale. These are placed with mathematic exactness and in conformity withthe natural position of the fingers, by which they can be closed withoutthe necessity of keys. Each hole can be closed independently, and thereis no cross-finger ing. Thus in the diminution of the mechan.- ism theinstrument becomes lighter, simpler, and less expensive. The mouthpieceis at the upper extremity of the pipe and disposed for blowing directlyinstead of transversely to avoid the dispersion of wind and so that theharmonics of the twelfth are got in perfect intonation, and no specialfingering is required for the production of the third octave. The holesare left in their normal place, and the notes are given of perfectintonation and equality of sound from the lowest to the highest. In thisfiute the air is blown straight along the pipe, so that there is noattrition or dispersion of its force, and the octave is rendered inperfect intonation with the 'lingering of the harmonic of the fifthbelow.

I will describe a flute embodying my invention and then point out thenovel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 shows the scale by means of which 95 the centers of thelinger-holes may be found.

Fig. 2 shows a flute with the finger-holes therein in accordance withthe scale. Fig. .3 is a plan view of a flute and the improved mouthpiecethereon. Fig. a is a longitudinal section ofthe mouthpiece. Fig. 5 is atransverse section thereof on the line 5 5 et Fig. 3. Fig. h' shows amodification in which a key is employed. Fig. 7 is anothermodificationshowing keys, and Fig. S is a detail perspective View of the mouthpiece.

In carrying out the invention i employ a pipe corresponding to thefundamental note I wish to have. i divide its column of air in theproportions given bythe acoustic laws for the graduation of thechromatic scale shown in Fig. l and mark the distance from center tocenter of the holes l in the flute or pipe 2. I proportion the size ofthe holes with regard to the diameter of the pipe, and the distancebetween the linger-holes gradually diminishes from the lower to theupper hole.

Fig. l shows the theoreticalpositions of the holes in a simple flute togive the chromatic scale, being the half-wave lengths of thecorresponding notes; but it is well known that in an actual flute theholes are considerably nearer the mouthpiece than the half-wave length.Consequently Fig. 2 shows the distances of Fig. l diminished tocorrespond with the shortening found necessary in practice.

ln Fig. 2 l have shown the holes arranged in a straight row. ln Fig. 3,however, i have arranged certain of the holes out of line with theothers, as shown at 3, Li, 5, and (3. rlhis arrangement maybe desirableto suit the conformation of the Hngers of a player. ln this form of theinstrument the third phalange of the first finger of the lelt hand willbe placed over the first hole, (numbered 3,) and the end of said fingerwill govern the second hole, the thumb of the left hand will govern thethird hole, (numbered ia) the next three holes will be governed,respectively, by the second, third, and little fingers of the lel'thand, the seventh hole will be governed by the thumb of the right hand,the eighth, ninth, and tenth holes by the first, second, and thirdlingers ol the right hand, and the last hele (5 by the little finger ofthe right hand.

The scales are formed by progressively opening the holes, beginning withthe one covered bythe little finger of the right hand. The first hole 3may be smaller than the rcmainder, as a resounding-harmonic toits ocAtave.

Keys are not necessary, but they can be furnished, as shown at 7 in Fig.(i, and lower or higher supplementary notes can be added, as in otherflutes, as shown bythe keys S and 9 in Fig. 7.

The portion of an ordinary flute, as indicated at c x and which isgenerally provided with the regulating-cork, is removed, and in lieu ofsuch cork for closing the upper extremity oi' the pipe employ amouthpiece, and preferably the mouthpiece will be con formed somewhat tothe shape of: a persons chin, against which it is designed to rest. fishere shown, the mouthpiece l0 is removably mounted en the flute 2-thatis, it has an cxtension ll, designed to engage within the end ot' theflute. The mouthpiece is substantially circular in crossscctien, and itsbore extends transversely to the length et' the flute. liy the circularformation ot the interior of the mouthpiece a resounding-clninnber isformed, as at l2 13, and the resistance to the blast el airis formedbythe reenter-ing' angle il. The ends ot the mouthpiece are flattened,as at l5, to compensate for the loud volume ol" air broduced in thechamber lf3. ihe mouthpiece is slightly )ent in an oblique direction,and the mouth-hole 17 is arranged at the top of the mouthpiece,substantially in line with the interior of the flute, so as to enablethe player to blow directly into the pipe instead of transversely.

he laying out of' the iinger-holes is illustrated in Fig. l-that is, theflute divided between [L and li to find the octave at C, and then theoctave is divided in twelve proportional parts to get the chrom atiescale between B and Having thus (.escribed my invention, l claim as newand desire to secure by lietters Patentl. l mouthpiece for flutes,curved in direction of the length ol' the flute and provided with amouth-hole on its 'top and with a resounding-ehamber extending below theline of communication between said mouthpiece and the body of the flute,substantially as dc scribed.

2. A flute having eleven linger-holes, the first one of which isarranged out ot line with the second hole, whereby the phalange of thefirst finger may engage over the first hole and the said finger engagewith the second hole, whereby all of the eleven holes may be controlledby the ten fingers of a player, substantially as specified.

mouthpiece for flutes substantially circular in direction of length elthe ilute and having its lower portion extending below the line ofcomniunication between said mout-hpiece and the body ol the flutewhereby te form a resounding-chamber, fnibstantially as shown anddescribed.

i. d mouthpiece for flutes made substantially circular in the directionof length ol the flute having its lower portion extending below the lineof' communicationbetween.said mouthpiece and the body of the fi nte andhaving its ends flattened all substantially as shown and described.

5. A mouthpiece for flutes, having its end widened to furnish a bearingfor the chin and provided with a top opening and a resounding-chamberextendin below the line of; cem- IIO inuniczttion between the mouthpieceand the of the I'lutc, the end of the mouthpiece being,` body oi theflute7 Substantially its described. widened to form u bearing; for thechin, sub- G. A mouthpiece for flutes, curved in direcsta-ntiully asdescribed.

tion of length of the iiute, und provided with CARLO T. GIORGI. 5v zt'mouth-opening in its top und t resounding- Wvi tnesscs:

chamber extending below the line of coinniu- JNO. M. RITTER,

niczttion between the mouthpiece and body C. R. FERGUSON.

